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Postgraduate courses with January starts

Many postgraduate courses start in January and a later date might suit you. Here’s a list of which universities offer popular postgraduate courses with a January intake.

APPLYING TO UNIVERSITY CHOOSING A COURSE CHOOSING A UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE
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Sophie Rogers 18 Aug 2026
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CONTENTS

  1. Why should you start your postgraduate course in January?

  2. How to find a postgraduate qualification with a January start date

  3. Applying for university for January

  4. UK universities with master's courses starting in January 2027

Why should you start your postgraduate course in January?

Some applicants may assume that master's courses with January starts are reduced with fewer modules and less teaching. This isn’t true. You’ll still study a full syllabus and get a postgrad qualification at the end of the course.

There are several reasons why you might want to consider a different start to your graduate course. These include:

  • Your preferred course at your preferred university starts in January.
  • More time to consider your study and funding options.
  • Personal reasons, such as family or illness, that may delay your entry to university.
  • Less competition when applying and when searching for jobs at the end of your course.

Only certain courses are available for a later start, so make sure you do your research before you investigate January starts.

How to find a postgraduate qualification with a January start date

  • Research master's are more commonly available for January starts, such as MPhil or MA by Research, rather than taught degrees.
  • If you want to study a taught master's on campus, you're more likely to find a January start in subjects like Business, Computer Science, Finance or Law. These are among the most popular studies for postgraduate students, with high demand allowing multiple start dates throughout the year.
  • Some universities have multiple campuses – if they have a London campus, this may be more likely to offer January starts for postgraduate courses.
  • Sometimes a course title may indicate it has a January start.
  • If the course title refers to a longer duration, such as 15 months, this may be due to starting in January. In this case, the course covers the same content as a qualification that starts in the autumn but students may complete an internship over the summer.
  1. READ MORE
  2. Applying to university
  3. Undergraduate courses with January starts

Applying for university for January

Most of the time, applications for these courses are made directly to the university itself. You can find extra details about how to apply and individual deadlines on university websites. If you choose to apply through UCAS, there may be extra deadlines. It’s best to check with the university to determine the most suitable route. 

Securing funding for postgraduate study can be more difficult than for undergraduate. Make sure you find financial sources and apply early. You can find more information on our postgraduate funding page. If you start a course in January you should be eligible for the same student loans that are available to students starting in September.

UK universities with master's courses starting in January 2027

We’ve listed examples of available subject areas and the universities that offer them. We've focused on universities that offer taught full-time master's degrees. Most have January starts; a few start in February. This is not a comprehensive list.

The results show all courses a university offers in that subject. The course title may indicate it has a January start (or a longer duration). If not, check the courses that show multiple study options. On the course details page click the drop-down menu beside Course Options to check the available start dates.

For full details, visit the university's website.

  1. SKIP TO SUBJECT
  2. Accounting and Finance
  3. Business and Management Studies
  4. Computer Science
  5. Education
  6. Law 
  7. Marketing
  8. Politics
  9. Psychology

Accounting and Finance

This includes courses such as Accounting and Finance MSc, International Business and Finance, Banking and Finance MBA, and MSc Accounting and Sustainability with a placement year.

Business and Management

This includes many MBAs as well as postgraduate January starts in courses such as Project Management, Business Data Analytics, and International Business Management MSc. 

Computer Science

This includes courses such as Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.

Education

Initial teacher training qualifications – such as a PGCE or PGDE that will qualify you as a school teacher – follow the school educational year in the UK. This means you are unlikely to find such courses starting in January. But there are January starts in master's such as Education Leadership, Early Childhood Education, Education with TESOL, and Special Educational Needs and Inclusion.

Law

As well as an LLM towards qualifying as a solicitor or barrister, courses in this subject area also include Criminology and Human Rights.

Marketing

This includes courses such as International Marketing, Branding and Advertising and Marketing Management. There are also Marketing MBAs – but often at a higher rate of tuition fee. 'International Marketing' courses are more likely to offer January start dates.

Politics

This includes courses like International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies, Politics MA or PhD, or Cybercrime, Terrorism and Security. International Relations courses are more likely to have January starts.

Psychology

Psychology may be one of the most popular subjects of study, but unless you want a research degree there are few courses with January starts. Most Psychology postgraduate degrees run from the autumn, often with part-time options availabe. Courses include MSc Psychology, Psychology in Education, MA Art Psychotherapy, Business Psychology MSc, and Psychology (Conversion), among others.

  1. GO TO
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APPLYING TO UNIVERSITY CHOOSING A COURSE CHOOSING A UNIVERSITY POSTGRADUATE
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